Inadequate recognition and treatment of infants with bacterial meningitis could lead to tragedies, warn experts
Research has shown that bacterial meningitis in infants may not be being diagnosed or acted on quickly enough by medical professionals. Experts at St George’s University of London, in a study funded by the charity Meningitis Research Foundation, identified a range of concerning issues, including…
Study Points to Penile Microbiome as a Risk Factor for HIV in Men
A ten-fold increase in some types of bacteria living under the foreskin can increase a man’s risk of HIV infection by up to 63 percent, according to a new study out by researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the…
Shingles Increases Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke
Study says it’s important patients with shingles are made aware of heart disease risk
Inhaled Steroids May Increase Pneumonia Risk in People with Asthma
Use of inhaled corticosteroids was linked with an increased risk of pneumonia in a study of individuals with asthma. In the study of 152,412 asthma patients (of whom 1928 had a pneumonia event during follow-up), current use of inhaled corticosteroids was associated with an 83%…
Antibiotic use for travellers’ diarrhoea favours particularly resistant super bacteria
A traveller who resorts to using antibiotics will pick up the most resistant strains of common “super bacteria”, proves a recent study.
Existing reprocessing techniques prove insufficient for flexible endoscopes
Current techniques used to clean endoscopes for reuse are not consistently effective, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The findings of…
Study suggests enterovirus infections linked with autoimmunity that leads to type 1 diabetes
New research published in Diabetologia shows that children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a higher incidence of enterovirus infections prior to experiencing the autoimmune processes which lead to their T1D. The study is by Professor Heikki Hyöty and Dr Hanna Honkanen, University of Tampere,…
Zinc Eaten at Levels Found in Biofortified Crops Reduces ‘Wear and Tear’ on DNA
Research results present a new strategy for measuring the impact of zinc on health A new study by researchers from the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Research Institute (CHORI) shows that a modest 4 milligrams of extra zinc a day in the diet can have a…
Reducing the Duration of Antibiotics Does More Harm than Good When Treating Ear Infections in Young Children
In a landmark trial conducted at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, researchers have demonstrated that when treating children between 9 and 23 months of age with antibiotics for ear infections, a shortened course has worse clinical…
Infections during pregnancy have a negative impact upon maternal care and can trigger depression in the child
A viral infection in a pregnant woman not only affects her subsequent ability to provide maternal care but can also trigger depression in her offspring, which can then even extend into the next generation as a result of changes to genetic mechanisms in the brain….
Adult immunisation – an overview
by Tonio Piscopo MD MRCP(UK) DTM&H(Lond) Specialist in General Medicine & Infectious Diseases